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Phyllis Strub
Real Name: Phyllis Jean Strub Aliases: None known Wanted For: Embezzlement Missing Since: '''November 17, 1980 Case '''Details: Phyllis Strub managed a credit union for a large Hilton hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a trusted employee at the credit union and was the only paid employee there. She had worked there since 1967, both as a treasurer and a teller. There seemed to be no reason that any would suspect her of any wrongdoing. That changed on July 16, 1980, when a federal auditor arrived at the credit union, just as she returned from a family vacation. She told the auditor that she was not prepared for the audit because of her trip. She told him that she needed more time to get the records and paperwork together. The auditor worked for several days but kept coming up $250,000 short. He told Phyllis about the problem; however, she did not seem concerned. She then told him that she had to go to the bank to make a deposit. As she left, she put a "be back soon" sign on the front door. However, she never returned to the credit union. In fact, she was never seen by her family or coworkers again. Her husband, Earl, assumed that she had stayed at the hotel that night because of the audit. However, the next day, Earl met with Phyllis' boss and the auditor. He was told that she was missing, along with $247,826.54. The auditor suspected that she had embezzled the money. This allegation came as a shock to her family, friends, coworkers, and customers. Earl and his children were distraught; they could not understand why she would do this to them. Following her disappearance, Phyllis was able to remain one step ahead of the law. However, she was driving the family car and using her own credit cards. Using credit card receipts, Earl made a map and tracked her movements across the country. Over seven months, she covered 22,000 miles, a third of the country, winding down from Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico. She was last seen was on November 17, 1980, hitching a ride on a tanker truck to New Orleans; earlier, her car had broken down in Baton Rouge. Ironically, she told the repairman that she didn't have a penny to fix it. Today, Phyllis' children are grown and married. There are seven young grandchildren whom she has never met. Even though she is wanted by the FBI and may have to spend time in prison, her family wants her to come home. Even though fourteen years have passed, Earl still loves her. Interestingly, there is no evidence that any of the money that she embezzled was ever used by her. She is still wanted by authorities. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the October 14, 1994 episode. Results: Captured. New leads were uncovered as a result of the broadcast and Cincinnati police reopened their investigation into the case. On December 2, 1994, Phyllis was arrested in New Orleans after she used her Social Security number to get money to help her with her cancer. She had remarried and was living under the name "Phyllis Jean Johnson". Her family traveled to New Orleans and she was reunited with them after fourteen years. Phyllis was extradited back to Ohio to face embezzlement and other charges. She agreed to plead guilty to making a false statement and was able to get the other twenty-seven charges dropped. She was sentenced to 41 months in prison; however, because she was sick with cancer, prosecutors allowed her to spend her remaining time with her family. She passed away in 1995 at the age of fifty-seven. Earl passed away in 2007. Links: * Embezzlement charge tangles family affairs * Husband is still waiting after ten years * FBI ends fugitive's 14-year run * Woman faces charges in '80 embezzlement case * Woman charged with embezzling sees family again * Family reunited with mom in jailhouse * Where did the money go? * 14-year fugitive's wish: Christmas at home * Phyllis Strub dies months after reunion with family * SitcomsOnline Discussion of Phyllis Strub (includes comments from her son) * Obituary for Earl Strub ---- Category:Ohio Category:1980 Category:Embezzlement Category:Lost Loves Category:Hotel-Related Cases Category:Captured